Method of recording and playing baseball game showing each batter&#39;s last patch

ABSTRACT

A recorded complete baseball game is condensed into about fifteen minutes of action. All of the at-bat appearances of the players, in turn, are recorded, and then the recorded game is edited to leave only the last pitch thrown to each player, plus any action ensuing after that pitch and any attempts of runners to advance to another base and any other outs, such a runner as being picked off base. Then the recorded edited game is presented to viewers as a condensed game. The condensed game can be presented to subscribers over the Internet, or may be presented on film or as a video recording.

[0001] This invention relates to a method of condensing the actionportions of a baseball game or other sporting event, by recording thegame on film or video tape, and editing it to retain the actionportions, i.e., the last pitch thrown to the batters for each turn atthe plate.

[0002] There are nine players in the field, i.e., on defense, atpositions of catcher, pitcher, first base, second base, shortstop, thirdbase, left field, center field and right field. The batting, oroffensive, team bats one player at a time, in turn. Each team'shalf-inning ends when the three outs have been recorded. An out canoccur for a given batter only when the batter has struck out or battedthe ball into play, although a batter can remain at the plate if a baserunner is tagged out, i.e., in a pick-off or if caught stealing. Theplayer can only advance legally to first and be a base runner as aresult of the last pitch thrown to him in a given turn at the plate,i.e., he can hit safely, be awarded a base on balls, be struck by apitch, or strike out and reach first safely after a dropped or passedthird strike. Any runners on base advance under these circumstances orare tagged or forced out. There are other ways a base runner can advancebefore a batter's turn comes to an end, for example, by stealing base,or on account of a wild pitch or a balk.

[0003] During a baseball game, there is considerable time taken duringeach half inning in which there is only limited action on the field. Forexample, for a given player's turn at bat, there can be six or morepitches thrown before the player hits the ball into play, strikes out,or walks. In addition, there is often a great deal of time used in pickoff attempts and conferences in the infield, and in changing placesbetween half-innings. A nine-inning game can typically last between twoand three hours, and sometimes longer.

[0004] In accordance with an aspect of this invention, a film or videorecord is made of each player's turn at bat. The video record, which canbe film, digital, or tape, is edited down to retain the last pitchthrown to each player, plus any resulting action for that pitch. Thiswould record each safe base hit, each walk, strike out, sacrifice fly,ground out, etc. Of course, fielding would be recorded, i.e., eachput-out, error, double-play, and throw-out. The resulting video recordwould be about 10 to 15 minutes, showing all the action of the game.Base running activity (i.e., activity that can also result in either anout or advancement of the runner) can also be retained, such as stolenbases and attempted steals, pickoffs, rundowns, balks, and wild pitches.Some additional material (e.g., narrative) can be included to explainpitching changes, pinch runners, and other substitutions that may affectplay.

[0005] The completed (edited) version can be sold on a per-game basis,i.e., through a cable subscription arrangement, or delivered digitallyover the Internet to subscribers, perhaps using a password and PINassigned to the subscriber. The 10 to 15 minute video can also be usedby professional scouts and others for purposes of player evaluation. Theediting could take place immediately after each play, so that therecorded video could be released to its viewership immediately after thegame. Each inning or half-inning can be packaged as a unit, if desired.This could increase interest in baseball, by making the game available,on a near-real-time basis, to fans some distance from the ball park,i.e., 75 miles or more. This could also permit satellite viewing of thegame at remote locations, without requiring the full bandwidth that isneeded for an unedited version or live telecast.

[0006] This procedure and the resulting action video can be used forother sports as well. In track and field, the last attempt or heat ofeach event could be recorded, e.g., the last pole-vault attempt for eachathlete competing, and the last twenty meters of each race or heat. Theinvention would likewise apply in swimming and diving, or in figureskating. In horse racing, the final stretch and finish of each racewould be recorded. This invention could also be adapted tobaseball-related sports such as fast-pitch softball and cricket. Theinvention can be applied to net sports, e.g., capturing all game pointsin a tennis match, and capturing each score in volleyball. This systemcan also be adapted to show the important action in goal sports such ashockey, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, rugby, and football. The inventioncan also be used to feature target sports, i.e., to follow all the shotsof a given player in golf or in billiards, or every roll in bowling.

1. I claim the name “Baseball Quick” as our trademark. The name is anintegral part of our invention and describes in 2 words how a fan canview a baseball game. “Baseball Quick” is a method of recording andediting a baseball game by showing only the last pitch to each batterand any subsequent action. Any action between the last pitch of anybatter to the last pitch of another batter shall also be recorded. Theresult shall be a complete game of every player at bat in approximately15 minutes.
 2. I claim that this method of dispensing a baseball gamecan be used in the following medias. Television, Radio, Internet,Telephone, and Pagers.
 3. I claim there are many ways “Baseball Quick”can be shown or heard. For example it can be dispensed, a) inning byinning while the game is in progress, b) 3^(rd) inning, or 6^(th) inningreview while the game is in progress, or c) the whole game shown orheard after the game is over, d) all of the above can also be dispensedon the internet, telephone, pay per view or any hand held device.Finally, all these methods can be repeated at prime time slots or thenext morning.
 4. A method of recording and editing a baseball game inwhich players from each side appear at bat, in turn, and attempt toplace a pitched baseball into play and reach base safely; with playersfailing to reach base safely being out and players on base attemptingunsuccessfully to advance to another base being out; the methodcomprising: recording the appearances-at-bat for each player, in turn,plus other action that ensues during or after the appearances-at-bat;editing the recorded appearances-at-bat to leave only the last pitchthrown to each player, plus any action ensuing after that pitch and anyattempts of runners on base to advance to another base; and presentingthe edited recorded game as a condensed recorded game showing importantaction portions of the game.
 5. The method according to claim 4 whereinsaid editing includes omitting all pitches that do not result in eitherthe player at bat placing the ball into play, producing an out, or theplayer at bat or another player on base advancing to another base. 6.The method according to claim 4 wherein the edited recorded game isabout 15 minutes for a nine-inning game.
 7. The method according toclaim 4 wherein said edited recorded game comprises only a specificportion of the game.
 8. The method according to claim 4 wherein saidstep of presenting the edited game as a condensed recorded game includesdelivering the recorded game to subscribers over the Internet.
 9. Themethod according to claim 4 wherein said step of presenting the editedgame as a condensed recorded game includes distributing the recordedgame as a video recording.
 10. The method according to claim 4 whereinthe step of editing leaves in narrative material to explain substitutionof players.